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But she said when she first wanted to be a magician, it was a male-dominated industry, like an 'old boys club', and she still feels as though she needs to prove herself - although things are moving in the right direction.

Mills has previously joked that she may consider hiring a male assistant and 'dressing him in spandex' in an industry that has not moved with social attitudes.

Mills told The Guardian's Hannah Ellis-Peterson: 'It feels like magic is playing catch-up to the rest of the entertainment industry, because for so long it was white gloves and top hats and scantily dressed female assistants, which is hardly encouraging for young girls.'

But she said when she first wanted to be a magician, it was a male-dominated industry, like an 'old boys club', and she still feels as though she needs to prove herself - although things are moving in the right direction

Even now, only 100 of the Magic Circle's 1,500 members are female, although women are starting to make more of an impact as magic enjoys a resurgence similar to the rise of alternative comedy in the 1980s which led to the rise of female comedians like French and Saunders.

This year, Leah Mae Devine, 16, from newcastle, became the first female to win the Magic Circle's Young Magician of the Year.

Last year, they elected their first female officer, Megan Knowles Bacon, who became club secretary.

And Penrose believes that women may even have certain advantages.

He told The Independent: 'Dare I say it, when it comes to illusions, women are better at certain types of tricks than men. I cannot divulge too much because of the secrecy of how tricks work. It could be partly to do with the way women are built.'

Even with the old set up - a male with his female assistant - Penrose says that he considers duos to be be more of a double-act than a man stealing the show, claiming that many assistants became personalities in their own right.

He highlighted the case of Adelaide Hermann, who took over a bullet-catching trick in 1896 when her husband Alexander died from a heart attack.

But no matter what happened in the past, Penrose seems certain that the future will see a lot more women playing prominent roles in the industry.